Lockeness
(e^(i╥))+1=0
Done. Sirdnpt and Mafeking GP checks implemented [GP 2/2]
[Overview]
<p>In the nearly endless grinding of GSC OU, Misdreavus found a unique role: that of a stallbreaker. With access to both Perish Song and Mean Look, Misdreavus functions as an effective solution to many defensive cores. While it has little in the way of offense and its defensive stats leave much to be desired, it still has the necessary tools to justify its title as one of the premier stallbreakers of the GSC metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Mean Look
move 2: Perish Song
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder / Confuse Ray / Attract
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Misdreavus's bread and butter, and the reason that it's used in OU—Perish Trapping is simple and yet dastardly effective. With Perish Song and Mean Look Misdreavus can trap and KO many of GSC's top walls, such as Miltank, Forretress, Skarmory, and Blissey. Using Misdreavus is simple: come in on a wall or sleeping Pokemon with low damage output, trap it with Mean Look, then use Perish Song. Protect for two turns, and then switch out while the opponent is KOed. In fact, Misdreavus can rinse and repeat this strategy until the opponent's defensive core is thoroughly broken.</p>
<p>The first three moves are all fairly standard, while the last moveslot lets Misdreavus deal with phazers that can prevent it from Perish Trapping. Thunder is great for nailing Skarmory and Suicune, but leaves Misdreavus helpless against Steelix and Rhydon. Attract and Confuse Ray are also viable options, as they can prevent the trapped opponent from phazing or attacking. The difference between the two is that Confuse Ray hits all opponents regardless of gender, but Attract lasts indefinitely. If using Attract in simulator play, it is usually a good idea to change Misdreavus's gender to whichever one the simulator doesn't auto-select in order to maximize Attract's effectiveness.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hypnosis is another effective option to stop opponents dead in their tracks while Perish Song is in effect. However, it should be noted that in almost all GSC venues, the combination of Perish Song, Mean Look, and a sleep-inducing move is banned for competitive reasons. That being said, Misdreavus still enjoys switching in on Pokemon that have been put to sleep, or have just used Rest. Unless the sleeping Pokemon switches or uses Sleep Talk, Misdreavus will be free to uses Mean Look and Perish Song without fear of taking damage. Paralysis support in particular can be very useful as it will stop the opponent from moving 25% of the time; it will also become even more effective alongside Confuse Ray. However, paralysis support can be difficult to pull off as many Pokemon carry Rest, and Heal Bell support is common as well. Nonetheless, Rest users will be more susceptible to Misdreavus's Perish Trap strategy because they won't be able to attack without Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Misdreavus must be wary of trapping Pokemon that have boosting moves, such as Swords Dance or Curse, because if the opposing Pokemon boosts and Misdreavus switches on the last count of Perish Song, the incoming Pokemon will almost always be heavily damaged. Again, Swords Dance Marowak is especially dangerous in this regard. Pokemon with Explosion can execute a similar strategy, waiting until the last turn of the Perish count to do massive damage: you will normally have to either leave Misdreavus in to die from the Perish count or switch it out and sacrifice another Pokemon to Explosion. Pairing Misdreavus with a Rock- or Steel-type, such as Tyranitar or Skarmory, can help negate the damage from Explosion, but be warned that any switch-in not named Gengar will take heavy damage regardless of its typing.</p>
<p>Misdreavus is also a counter to Snorlax lacking Earthquake; this ability to stop many Snorlax sets cold is a great asset to any team that chooses to use Misdreavus. Additionally, Misdreavus's Ghost typing allows it to block Rapid Spin, making it an outstanding choice for teams that utilize Spikes. Both Cloyster and Forretress make excellent partners as they both have high Defense and can spread around Spikes for Misdreavus to take advantage of.</p>
<p>In addition, Misdreavus fits well on teams that utilize sweepers that enjoy the removal of opposing walls. Pokemon such as Heracross, Machamp, Alakazam, Snorlax, Raikou, and Vaporeon all enjoy seeing walls such as Blissey and Skarmory gone, depending on their sets. Finally, Misdreavus pairs well with Growth Vaporeon, Machamp, Marowak, and Nidoking, all of whom can counter the common phazers: Tyranitar and Steelix.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Outside of the options listed above, Misdreavus has a few other interesting choices that have specific uses. Pain Split provides a great way to take advantage of Misdreavus's low HP stat, and also buys some needed recovery while Perish Trapping. Destiny Bond is an interesting option for nailing powerful tanks and sweepers that try to KO Misdreavus, and is notable for its ability to counter Snorlax after a Belly Drum or several Curse boosts. Just be wary of using Destiny Bond against the occasional faster threat that can KO Misdreavus before it gets a chance to use it. Destiny Bond will also leave Misdreavus helpless against phazers, so unless your team can handle them effectively, Thunder or Confuse Ray will usually be better options for Misdreavus.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Misdreavus may be a potent stallbreaker, but it does have problems against Pursuit users and phazers. Tyranitar is definitely public enemy number one, as it has access to both Pursuit and Roar, as well as the defenses to shrug off anything Misdreavus can throw at it. Houndoom is another Dark-type that can nail Misdreavus with Pursuit as it switches out of an expected Crunch; it outspeeds Misdreavus as well.</p>
<p>Depending on what move Misdreavus elects to run in the fourth slot, it will have problems with certain phazers. If using Thunder, Misdreavus will struggle against Rhydon, Raikou, and Steelix. Additionally, Thunder only 3HKOes a healthy Suicune, giving it a chance to switch in and phaze Misdreavus if need be. If using Confuse Ray, Misdreavus will not be able to do appreciable damage to any phazer, and will be left out to dry if confusion does not take effect while the opponent uses either Roar or Whirlwind.</p>
<p>Misdreavus is not a naturally defensive Pokemon, and it will struggle to trap and kill any Pokemon that can 2HKO it. For example, Marowak will do a minimum of 79% damage with Earthquake, and unboosted Rhydon will consistently do around 55%, which will almost always be a 2HKO unless Misdreavus can use Pain Split. Belly Drum Snorlax is also notable for its ability to KO Misdreavus with Earthquake after a Belly Drum. However, countering does have its risks, as Misdreavus can try and Protect twice after Perish Song, giving the opponent only a 50% chance of KOing.</p>
<p>On a final note, Misdreavus detests Spikes and status. With its low HP and susceptibility to powerful physical attacks, Misdreavus wants all the health it can get. Outside of Leftovers and Pain Split, Misdreavus has no real options to restore its rather meager health. As such, setting up Spikes will go a long way in preventing it from working effectively. A poisoned or sleeping Misdreavus can also find itself up a creek without a paddle if it tries switching in on the wrong move.</p>
[Overview]
<p>In the nearly endless grinding of GSC OU, Misdreavus found a unique role: that of a stallbreaker. With access to both Perish Song and Mean Look, Misdreavus functions as an effective solution to many defensive cores. While it has little in the way of offense and its defensive stats leave much to be desired, it still has the necessary tools to justify its title as one of the premier stallbreakers of the GSC metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Mean Look
move 2: Perish Song
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder / Confuse Ray / Attract
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Misdreavus's bread and butter, and the reason that it's used in OU—Perish Trapping is simple and yet dastardly effective. With Perish Song and Mean Look Misdreavus can trap and KO many of GSC's top walls, such as Miltank, Forretress, Skarmory, and Blissey. Using Misdreavus is simple: come in on a wall or sleeping Pokemon with low damage output, trap it with Mean Look, then use Perish Song. Protect for two turns, and then switch out while the opponent is KOed. In fact, Misdreavus can rinse and repeat this strategy until the opponent's defensive core is thoroughly broken.</p>
<p>The first three moves are all fairly standard, while the last moveslot lets Misdreavus deal with phazers that can prevent it from Perish Trapping. Thunder is great for nailing Skarmory and Suicune, but leaves Misdreavus helpless against Steelix and Rhydon. Attract and Confuse Ray are also viable options, as they can prevent the trapped opponent from phazing or attacking. The difference between the two is that Confuse Ray hits all opponents regardless of gender, but Attract lasts indefinitely. If using Attract in simulator play, it is usually a good idea to change Misdreavus's gender to whichever one the simulator doesn't auto-select in order to maximize Attract's effectiveness.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hypnosis is another effective option to stop opponents dead in their tracks while Perish Song is in effect. However, it should be noted that in almost all GSC venues, the combination of Perish Song, Mean Look, and a sleep-inducing move is banned for competitive reasons. That being said, Misdreavus still enjoys switching in on Pokemon that have been put to sleep, or have just used Rest. Unless the sleeping Pokemon switches or uses Sleep Talk, Misdreavus will be free to uses Mean Look and Perish Song without fear of taking damage. Paralysis support in particular can be very useful as it will stop the opponent from moving 25% of the time; it will also become even more effective alongside Confuse Ray. However, paralysis support can be difficult to pull off as many Pokemon carry Rest, and Heal Bell support is common as well. Nonetheless, Rest users will be more susceptible to Misdreavus's Perish Trap strategy because they won't be able to attack without Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Misdreavus must be wary of trapping Pokemon that have boosting moves, such as Swords Dance or Curse, because if the opposing Pokemon boosts and Misdreavus switches on the last count of Perish Song, the incoming Pokemon will almost always be heavily damaged. Again, Swords Dance Marowak is especially dangerous in this regard. Pokemon with Explosion can execute a similar strategy, waiting until the last turn of the Perish count to do massive damage: you will normally have to either leave Misdreavus in to die from the Perish count or switch it out and sacrifice another Pokemon to Explosion. Pairing Misdreavus with a Rock- or Steel-type, such as Tyranitar or Skarmory, can help negate the damage from Explosion, but be warned that any switch-in not named Gengar will take heavy damage regardless of its typing.</p>
<p>Misdreavus is also a counter to Snorlax lacking Earthquake; this ability to stop many Snorlax sets cold is a great asset to any team that chooses to use Misdreavus. Additionally, Misdreavus's Ghost typing allows it to block Rapid Spin, making it an outstanding choice for teams that utilize Spikes. Both Cloyster and Forretress make excellent partners as they both have high Defense and can spread around Spikes for Misdreavus to take advantage of.</p>
<p>In addition, Misdreavus fits well on teams that utilize sweepers that enjoy the removal of opposing walls. Pokemon such as Heracross, Machamp, Alakazam, Snorlax, Raikou, and Vaporeon all enjoy seeing walls such as Blissey and Skarmory gone, depending on their sets. Finally, Misdreavus pairs well with Growth Vaporeon, Machamp, Marowak, and Nidoking, all of whom can counter the common phazers: Tyranitar and Steelix.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Outside of the options listed above, Misdreavus has a few other interesting choices that have specific uses. Pain Split provides a great way to take advantage of Misdreavus's low HP stat, and also buys some needed recovery while Perish Trapping. Destiny Bond is an interesting option for nailing powerful tanks and sweepers that try to KO Misdreavus, and is notable for its ability to counter Snorlax after a Belly Drum or several Curse boosts. Just be wary of using Destiny Bond against the occasional faster threat that can KO Misdreavus before it gets a chance to use it. Destiny Bond will also leave Misdreavus helpless against phazers, so unless your team can handle them effectively, Thunder or Confuse Ray will usually be better options for Misdreavus.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Misdreavus may be a potent stallbreaker, but it does have problems against Pursuit users and phazers. Tyranitar is definitely public enemy number one, as it has access to both Pursuit and Roar, as well as the defenses to shrug off anything Misdreavus can throw at it. Houndoom is another Dark-type that can nail Misdreavus with Pursuit as it switches out of an expected Crunch; it outspeeds Misdreavus as well.</p>
<p>Depending on what move Misdreavus elects to run in the fourth slot, it will have problems with certain phazers. If using Thunder, Misdreavus will struggle against Rhydon, Raikou, and Steelix. Additionally, Thunder only 3HKOes a healthy Suicune, giving it a chance to switch in and phaze Misdreavus if need be. If using Confuse Ray, Misdreavus will not be able to do appreciable damage to any phazer, and will be left out to dry if confusion does not take effect while the opponent uses either Roar or Whirlwind.</p>
<p>Misdreavus is not a naturally defensive Pokemon, and it will struggle to trap and kill any Pokemon that can 2HKO it. For example, Marowak will do a minimum of 79% damage with Earthquake, and unboosted Rhydon will consistently do around 55%, which will almost always be a 2HKO unless Misdreavus can use Pain Split. Belly Drum Snorlax is also notable for its ability to KO Misdreavus with Earthquake after a Belly Drum. However, countering does have its risks, as Misdreavus can try and Protect twice after Perish Song, giving the opponent only a 50% chance of KOing.</p>
<p>On a final note, Misdreavus detests Spikes and status. With its low HP and susceptibility to powerful physical attacks, Misdreavus wants all the health it can get. Outside of Leftovers and Pain Split, Misdreavus has no real options to restore its rather meager health. As such, setting up Spikes will go a long way in preventing it from working effectively. A poisoned or sleeping Misdreavus can also find itself up a creek without a paddle if it tries switching in on the wrong move.</p>
